For my German-speaking readers:
I´ve initiated a study that seeks to better understand the perception of certain leadership behaviors. If you currently work somewhere and report to someone (= have a boss) you are eligible to participate.
Participation takes just 7-8 minutes. Please click here:
https://de.surveymonkey.com/r/fuehrungsstudie
You can also forward this link via e-mail or share it on social media etc.
Thank you very much!
Nico
Picture via gratisography.com
I guess there ´s a heck of a lot of people out there who haven’t even heard about the first wave of Positive Psychology – and now, there´s supposed to be a second one? Yes, sir!
For quite some time now, Positive Psychology has been criticized for focusing way too much on the positive side(s) of life, while (by and large) ignoring negative phenomena – which, after all, is why Positive Psychology was founded in the first place. I feel this criticism is unwarranted pertaining to the academic/research side of things. E.g., research on Post-Traumatic Growth has always been readily embraced. But I guess in terms of marketing PP to the public, there´s more than a bit truth to this allegation.
Last year, Todd Kashdan and Robert Biswas-Diener published their book The Upside of Your Dark Side, others are following suit now. There´s a very recent article on Psychology Today by Tim Lomas: Second Wave Positive Psychology: An Introduction. Here´s the central part:
Second Wave Positive Psychology is underpinned by four dialectical principles: appraisal; co-valence; complementarity; and evolution.
Appraisal means that we cannot appraise something as either positive or negative without taking context into account.
Co-valence reflects the idea that many situations and experiences comprise positive and negative elements.
Complementarity is about the idea of Ying and Yang, that positive and negative are co-creating sides of the same coin.
Evolution draws on Hegel’s notion of thesis-antithesis-synthesis.
In this case, traditional psychology can be seen as the thesis, Positive Psychology is the anti-thesis, and SWPP could evolve into a synthesis, where the truths of both thesis and antithesis are preserved, while their flaws are overcome.
Just in case you´ll find that article stimulating: it is based on an academic paper which can be found on Research Gate: Second Wave Positive Psychology: Exploring the Positive–Negative Dialectics of Wellbeing.
Another synopsis of SWPP is proposed by Paul T. P. Wong in this article: What Is Second Wave Positive Psychology and Why is it necessary?
My favorite pieces covering Positive Psychology and adjacent from (roughly) the last seven days:
Washington Post: We all know exercise makes you live longer. But this will actually get you off the Couch by David Brown
Harvard Business Review: How to Build a Culture of Originality by Adam Grant
Psychology Today: Second Wave Positive Psychology: An Introduction by Tim Lomas
Think Advisor: Advisors in Pursuit of Happiness by Olivia Mellan
Psychology Today: Being Positive: It’s Not Mindfulness, It’s Savoring by Ryan Niemiec
Psychology Today: 4 Science-Backed Tips For Achieving Your Dreams by Emma Seppälä
Psychology Today: The Hard Data on Self-Love and Why It Leads to Success by Emma Seppälä
MIT Technology Review: First Evidence for the Happiness Paradox: That Your Friends Are Happier than You Are, no author
Job Offer: Senior Lecturer in Coaching and Positive Psychology – University of East London
Now, here’s a little inspirational post. Slightly off-topic, but not all that much. What you can see below is a piece of art created by University of Texas art student Jasmine Kay Uy. Sometimes, you just need to look around another corner to get the full picture. Beautiful – and very clever. Reminded me of the Holstee Manifesto that I posted quite a while ago. Share and enjoy!
Some nations are happier than others, that’s a fact. In most year’s rankings, Switzerland or one of the Scandivian countries (quite frequently: Denmark) take the No. 1 spot in the carefully researched list. Quite obviously, this does not mean each and every person over there is happier than your fellow countrymen – but on average, they are. Why is that the case? The solution can be found in the answers to these high-level questions:
Or, in the words of University of British Columbia economics professor John Helliwell, co-editor of the World Happiness Report (as quoted on ThinkAdvisor.com):
Six factors explain about three-quarters of the difference in country rankings […]: GDP per capita, social support (based on the question, “Do you have a friend or relative to call on in times of trouble?”), life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, generosity (having donated to charity within the past month) and trust (perceptions of business or governmental corruption).
In order to make make the top ranks of the “happiest nations list”, a country needs to do pretty well on each of those factors. But they also explain why some countries that don’t do so well economically might be far ahead of some richer counterparts:
(Some of) the best things in life are free – e.g., your family and friends.
This is another cool infographic by Anna Vital (featured her work on Mappalicious here, here, here, and here in the past. I definitely prefer No. 1 (doing), 2 (searching inside), and 5 (reading). How about you?
Share and enjoy!
Our northermost neighbors, the Danes, frequently take the number one spot when researchers try to find the happiest country on earth. While this finding has to be treated with some caution (please see What people around the world mean when they say they’re happy) they probably one or two things about the good life.
Here’s what former corporate executive and nowadays writer Malene Rydahl has to say on the topic.
By now, I have written +400 blog posts on Positive Psychology and given +30 talks and presentations for different audiences, mostly in the realm of business. While I receive a lot of positive feedback (referring to the PP content; I´m not talking about my presentation style here), quite obviously, I also get some pushback once in a while. Over time, I´ve come to notice that most of the counterarguments I hear are based on a rather small set of “shared (mis-)conceptions”. I guess, a lot of these arise over time due to the fact that – for the sake of brevity – speeches and news articles on Positive Psychology have to simplify and overgeneralize their messages in order to get their points across. In order to structure my own thoughts vis-à-vis this situation – but also for discussion – in the following, you´ll find…
1) I feel, therefore I am. Emotions are among the very few constants in life. Where´s the consciousness, there´s emotion. They may not always be strong, and we may not always be aware – but they are there.
2) All emotions are valid and adaptive, depending on context and dose.
3) In excess, every emotion can and probably will have detrimental side effects.
4) Different emotions will have different consequences (e.g., for our overall health or the perception of “meaning in life”), especially in high doses and in the long-term.
5) Feelings are contagious and therefore, (almost) always “social”: What we do unto ourselves, we do unto others (to some degree). With that, there comes a responsibility.
6) Happiness is mostly used as an umbrella term, it comes in many different forms and sizes (e.g. serenity, exhilaration, relaxation).
7) Feeling happy is not a (or the) goal in life itself, it’s a “positive side effect” of certain behavior patterns and thinking styles.
8) Feeling happy is not shallow. At least, it´s not shallower than experiencing sadness, anger, or any other kind of emotion.
9) Feeling mostly happy requires effort, at least more work than feeling mostly unhappy (especially with regard to people displaying certain unfavorable genetic predispositions).
10) We seldom feel pure emotions. In most situations, we have several feelings at the same time. Quite often, they display a somewhat antagonistic structure (e.g., experiencing a bittersweet moment; or feeling proud of having been humble).
Picture via Gratisography
Stumbled this beautiful quote by Ben Franklin today. What do you think?
My favorite pieces covering Positive Psychology and adjacent from (roughly) the last seven days:
Inc: 11 Signs You Have the Grit You Need to Succeed by Travis Bradberry
Forbes: The Surprising Power Of Appreciation At Work by Chris Cancialosi
Greater Good Science Center: Can Helping Others Help You Find Meaning in Life? by Elizabeth Hopper
New Yorker: How People Learn to Become Resilient by Maria Konnikova
Wall Street Journal: ‘Resilience’ skills help you remain positive and productive under stress by Laura Landro
Forbes: Amy Cuddy: How Leaders Can Be More Present In The Workplace by Dan Schawbel
Boston Globe: How nice bosses get ahead by Emma Seppälä
Washington Post: What people around the world mean when they say they’re happy by Ana Swanson
Mappalicious 